Resonating desk, any damping davice?

[trillbee]

My ears are often irritated by my resonating desk- it took me a while to realise that was what it was. The accoustics in the room aren't good, but it's my pine desk top that my pc rests on that really bugs me. I notice it naturally resonates at 125hz, very specifically on c# and in songs in this key it can be really annoying.

This sort of thing must be common for "in the field" recording, does anyone know of a method by which to damp this vibration- save moving the desk or getting a new one?
Tony

 

[LeeRosario]

Auralex makes some foam speaker mounts that you can use to isolate that a little bit.


But I seriously suggest saving yourself the pain and investing in some good speaker stands. Especially the kind where you can fill them with sand.


The difference acoustically isolated speaker stands make are incredible.

 

[ahj]

My ears are often irritated by my resonating desk- it took me a while to realise that was what it was. The accoustics in the room aren't good, but it's my pine desk top that my pc rests on that really bugs me. I notice it naturally resonates at 125hz, very specifically on c# and in songs in this key it can be really annoying.

This sort of thing must be common for "in the field" recording, does anyone know of a method by which to damp this vibration- save moving the desk or getting a new one?
Tony

if it's just coming from your monitors you should get these: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0002D0B4K/104-8806719-1011126?v=glance
they helped me out alot with the vibrations coming from mine.

 

[trillbee]

I tried using padding under my monitors- pillows actually and the resonance on125hz was still their. It is partly caused by my monitors sitting on my desk, their is no doubt, but the desk itseld forms a little accoustic chamber. If I remove the centre draw it improves but it's the actual pine top that act like a drum head.

 

[LeeRosario]

I tried using padding under my monitors- pillows actually and the resonance on125hz was still their. It is partly caused by my monitors sitting on my desk, their is no doubt, but the desk itseld forms a little accoustic chamber. If I remove the centre draw it improves but it's the actual pine top that act like a drum head.

well that's just the natural way of acoustics. In all reality, even an entire room can act as a speaker.


The same reason subwoofers sound louder than what they really are in apartments with untreated hollow walls. Sound travels and resonates all the things it hits. Just that some things are so good at bouncing sound, you probably won't hear that resonation. A even worse is the opposite of that, there are things that are good at amplifying sound.

Good in Carnegie Hall, bad in a mixing room.

Then when you're not concerned about resonating objects, you'd have to be concerned with comb filtering. Which directly affects your mixing as well.

So the speakers off the desk alone won't completely cure your problem, but lifting them from that surface will at least help you out greatly.

People invest insane amounts of money to acoustically isolate thier speakers for all these reasons.

If speaker companies could figure out a way to just have floating cones without a cabinet, they would snap at the thought instantly. However, cabinets are part of the physics of creating the sound and unfortunately even cabinets resonate. Some more than others.

Genelec monitors pride themselves on having speaker designs with minimal cabinet refraction. Lucky for them they are right, and those are excellent sounding speakers.


But you don't dont have to spend insane amounts of money, all you have to do is to figure out 3 simple things:

1) Figure out a way to isolate or "float" your speakers from the desk

2) Make sure the medium you use to float your speakers is isolated in itself. In other words, don't use extremely resonant stands to hold your speakers, because then you just really transfered the problem from one medium to another.

3) Then figure out a way to treat the room. Nothing fancy, just a few good spot treatments will help you out.

You have to visualize the room being free of resonance, free of reflections, free of noise and free of reverberation elements.

 

[Robert D]

Trillbee - Do you know if it's acoustically or mechanically coupled resonance? It's probably a monitor isolation issue, but it's not impossible for the desk to resonate simply from high SPL. Floating your monitors and taking a listen will tell the tale. If it still rings, then you'll have to dampen it somehow. Hopefully you can do it from under without getting ugly. Again, it's probably just a matter of decoupling the monitors.

 

[trillbee]

I think the resonance is air-borne as well as mechanical . I removed the biggest draw from the desk which, I think, improved the sound slightly but the main pine worktop seems to act like a drum skin tuned to about A, as A,C# and E all produce resonances of varying degeree.

I definately intend to wall mount some shelves and damp them if need be.

Someone suggested attaching soemthing heavy to the desk underside-i thhought about old floor tiles with flexible glue. What does anybody think?

Thanks LeeRosario for your good advice- I can't treat my room in anything BUT the simplest of ways so your advice is encouraging. Would a sheet of MDF lain on top of a blanket or duvet dampen a wooden floor very well d'ya thnk- particularly if I was standing on it?

And what would you guys advise hanging infront of a double glazed french window?

Thanks,
Tony

 

[LeeRosario]

I think the resonance is air-borne as well as mechanical . I removed the biggest draw from the desk which, I think, improved the sound slightly but the main pine worktop seems to act like a drum skin tuned to about A, as A,C# and E all produce resonances of varying degeree.

I definately intend to wall mount some shelves and damp them if need be.

Someone suggested attaching soemthing heavy to the desk underside-i thhought about old floor tiles with flexible glue. What does anybody think?

Thanks LeeRosario for your good advice- I can't treat my room in anything BUT the simplest of ways so your advice is encouraging. Would a sheet of MDF lain on top of a blanket or duvet dampen a wooden floor very well d'ya thnk- particularly if I was standing on it?

And what would you guys advise hanging infront of a double glazed french window?

Thanks,
Tony

I'm glad I can help somewhat....


I have fellow engineer collegues of mine that make simple fiber glass panels about maybe 3-4 thick and hang them up in strategic places in thier homes.


So you stop by Home Depot, pick up something like a few 3 by 5 panels of plywood, a few sheets of fiber glass, some padding and nice sheets to cover them, staple gun that shit and set em up.


Very simple to do, pretty cheap and pretty effective. At least this helps control your sound somewhat. Keeping in mind that lows are hardest to control and you probably won't be able to get rid of most of the problems caused by Lows.

 

[Dani Pace]

Why not "muffle" the desk top?
Get a piece of indoor/outdoor carpet and cut it to fit the desktop. This should have a similar effect to a drummer throwing a towel over a drum to cut down on resonance. If the problem persists you can reinforce the underside of the desktop with a few pieces of 2X4 and screws, make it more rigid and it will not resonate as much.